U.S. Pat. No. 2,965,550 issued to McClure on Aug. 27, 1957, discloses a typical coke oven door having a solid refractory plug, an type seal and adjusting plungers.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,125,438 issued to Kelly et al. discloses a guiding mechanism having tapered guide bars fastened to the door frame. The guide bars are in line with the latch bars and provide assistance in guiding the door onto the oven and accurately positioning the sealing member to provide a seal. Also, the guide bars attached to the door frame are of such length so as to also act as a stop to prevent overloading of the sealing member because the door frame contacts the guide bars when the door is pushed too far into the oven by the door machine. This guiding mechanism is effective only when the initial alignment of the door by the operator is such that the guide bars mate properly. In the event of misalignment by the operator, the guide bars actually cause damage to the sealing member because the sealing member strikes a latch or guide bar. This damage to the sealing member results in an inadequate seal when the door is placed on the oven which results in leakage of coke oven gas to the atmosphere.
Recent and future governmental emission limitations require additional measures to reduce coke oven door emissions. In order to comply with current and future coke oven door emission standards, a design is necessary where sealing member damage is prevented because such damage is a major contributor to coke oven gas emissions from door closures.